India's Kashmir claims clash with reality seven years after Article 370

Seven years after India revoked Articles 370 and 35A, analysts say the promised peace and development in the Indian‑administered Jammu and Kashmir region are far from reality. Economic indicators show severe distress, with rising youth and female unemployment, losses in horticulture, handicrafts and MSMEs, and a sharp drop in tourism after the 2025 Pahalgam attack.

The area remains one of the world’s most militarised zones, with routine cordon‑and‑search operations, mass detentions and surveillance. Continuous internet shutdowns, school closures and teacher shortages have disrupted education. Critics also point to demographic engineering through changes to land, domicile and voting rights, and numerous human‑rights concerns such as custodial deaths and arbitrary arrests, all contrary to UN resolutions calling for a plebiscite.